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What is a presupposition?
What is a presupposition?
Entailments are associated with speakers, while presuppositions are associated with sentences.
Entailments are associated with speakers, while presuppositions are associated with sentences.
False
What is the main difference between presuppositions and entailments?
What is the main difference between presuppositions and entailments?
Presuppositions are assumptions held by speakers, while entailments are logical consequences derived from sentences.
In the sentence 'Susan's sister bought two houses', the presupposition is that _______.
In the sentence 'Susan's sister bought two houses', the presupposition is that _______.
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Match the following examples with their respective implications.
Match the following examples with their respective implications.
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Study Notes
Presuppositions and Entailments
- Pragmatics studies deixis, implicature, presupposition, speech acts, and discourse structure. (Levinson, 1983)
- A presupposition is something the speaker assumes to be true before making a statement. Speakers, not sentences, have presuppositions (symbolized as >>).
Presupposition Triggers
- In any language, certain expressions or constructions can act as triggers for presuppositions.
Entailments
- Entailment is not a pragmatic concept; it's what logically follows from an assertion (symbolized as II-). Sentences, not speakers, have entailments.
Example
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Sentence: Susan's sister bought two houses.
- Presupposition: Susan exists and has a sister.
- Entailments: Susan's sister bought something (a house), and now she owns two houses. These entailments are communicated without being explicitly stated.
Presuppositions vs. Entailments
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Example: "She hasn't stopped smoking."
- Presupposes: She used to smoke.
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Example: "My dog didn't eat my bag."
- Presupposes: I have a dog and have a bag.
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Example: "The emperor wasn't assassinated."
- Does not entail: Someone was assassinated or the emperor died. These latter statements are separate logical conclusions, not part of the entailment of the original sentence.
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Description
This quiz explores the concepts of presuppositions and entailments within pragmatics. It covers key definitions, triggers, and examples that illustrate how speakers make assumptions and what follows logically from their statements. Test your understanding of these important linguistic concepts!
